Woohoo, glorious summer! Just to make things livelier, some more random insects are just ramming their heads into the window panes. :/
So far summer has been amazing. The sunsets have been particularly spectacular! The weather is blazing but there have been tons of things to look forward to. I'm sooo glad that I made time for more fun this year. Last year I spent it almost entirely at work. Getting sunburnt at the riverside/beach also seems to be the quintessential Japanese summer experience. The yukata experience has been interesting, the fireworks have been breathtaking, the summer festivals taking place throughout Japan have been rather enjoyable. Have I mentioned how much I appreciate the 4 seasons and how there are various things to look forward to in each of them!?!?!
Anyway, I finally got to stay home for most of the day on my 3rd day off, it wasn't too productive, but at least I made it to a 1-Michelin-Star restaurant for lunch in Shinjuku and then came home, did the laundry and caught up with my mom on Skype. I made my first bowls of shaved ice and watched some Japanese drama as part of my feeble attempts to learn Japanese. After about 90 minutes of watching a coming-of-age drama with the hero dying leaving behind his heartbroken high school sweetheart, I now know the Japanese word for Cancer. haha.
So I'll move on to the main course now... I met this Singaporean boy whom I met on couchsurfing and I've been annoyed by him because he's been so unreliable. I wonder if it's a Singaporean characteristic now. Have I been spoilt by Japanese standards of politeness and courtesy? So he didn't kill my cat or anything like that, but first he didn't show up for my friend's bbq after I invited him because he had too much to drink the night before. Then I offered him to join my friends and I last weekend, but he had other plans. Fine... So I decided that we should meet up for lunch to swap notes on Mount Fuji and any other relevant news, and it was a major pain to decide where to go for lunch because Kamakura is too hot and other places are too far... I guess I felt brushed off when I was going out of my way to think of a nice and interesting for him to go because he was a guest in Japan, even if it's his 4th time now. So this morning, he texted and said that he lost his bike keys and would be an hour late as he would need to report this to his teacher in charge at school. He then apologised with a "paiseh... sorry ah." I don't believe it!!? If I were in his shoes, I would be apologising like mad instead of apologising as if he was saying a really casual sorry to his little sister. I really want to uninvite him for Mt Fuji, but I don't know how to do it... Well at least, I did some internet snooping and found this little gourmet jewel in Shinjuku.
Maybe I haven't felt it myself while I was in Singapore, but I suppose people back home are a lot more casual than people here. I suppose the way to treat a stranger is not too far off from how you'd treat your mates. I'm not sure if that's a good thing... Even in Singapore, customer service is sorely lacking, the customer is usually treated as an inconvenience. I can testify to that, but there's also the occasional flashes of brilliance which make my day. There has been too much absurd news from Singapore. The supposedly corruption-free and straitlaced Singapore town has been making waves in the news for the frequent train breakdowns which is undoubtedly unacceptable for a "world-class transport system" that we (or the government?) constantly brag about. Corruption scandals and sex scandals have also rocked the whole idea that Singapore was impenetrable to vices like other liberal democratic countries. My student even showed me an article that highlighted the new law passed prohibiting domestic helpers from cleaning the outside of the windows of high-rise apartments to prevent them from falling to their deaths. (This happens almost as often as Chuocides, haha no just kidding. But often enough for people to be worried.) One sterling example of ridiculousness that I'm shaking my head at right now, is this crazy MRT aunty who picked a fight with an ah lian on the train because she was slow to give up her seat. (I'm no ageist, but I'm annoyed at a handful of greying seniors who think that just because they are old, they can get away with anything they want...)
I think this ah lian handled it pretty well. I wouldn't know what I would have done if I was in her place... Singaporeans (& her residents) can be rude at times, but I truly hope it's not a widespread thing. I genuinely worry for my country, especially at how people are increasingly anti-foreigners and how badly the government is handling all this discontentment. The huge numbers of immigrants and their unwillingness to integrate into Singapore culture is definitely an issue which needs to be addressed. I think the internet and the use of social media have just changed the ball game entirely for our leaders. Any tom dick and harry can say shit, stir shit and cause naive people to go with the flow. People expect instant results and if you can't deliver that, you get shot down within a heartbeat. Not defending the gamen, but they really need to step things up instead of taichi-ing it away. I hope things improve, I didn't get to vote, but I hope that the majority who voted the ruling party in last year actually made a good decision.
While I'm away and living in my own little bubble, I pray that Singapore town can still retain all her beguiling charms while progressing into a more gracious society. Fingers crossed.
